Alkali vs. Base — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 5, 2023
Alkali refers specifically to a base soluble in water, while Base, in a broader term, denotes substances that, in aqueous solution, are slippery to touch, taste astringent, and change the color of indicators (e.g., turn litmus paper blue).
Difference Between Alkali and Base
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Alkali and Base, both pertain to the domain of chemistry but encapsulate distinct meanings. Alkali exclusively refers to a base that is not only capable of neutralizing acids but is also water-soluble, providing a notable specificity in its definition.
Base, conversely, espouses a broader categorization in chemistry. It encompasses all substances that can accept protons (or H+ ions) or donate a pair of valence electrons, which means that while all alkalis are bases, not all bases are alkalis.
Diving into alkali, it's imperative to underscore its water-soluble attribute. Alkali always forms alkaline (basic) solutions when dissolved in water, acting definitively to neutralize acids, and is discernible by its slippery feel and capability to change the color of indicators like litmus paper.
Base, with its wider implication, does not mandate water solubility. It includes substances that may or may not dissolve in water. Bases are proton acceptors, and they also have the characteristic to turn red litmus paper blue, indicative of their basicity.
Conclusively, while alkali holds its position as a subset within the base category, it is essential to acknowledge that the primary discrepancy lies in the water-solubility characteristic that alkali maintains, setting it apart within the overarching base category.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Water-soluble base
Substance that can accept protons
Solubility
Always soluble in water
Not always soluble in water
Litmus Paper Test
Turns red litmus paper blue
Turns red litmus paper blue
Examples
Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), Ammonia (NH3)
Presence in Aqueous Solution
Always creates an alkaline solution
May or may not create an alkaline solution
Compare with Definitions
Alkali
A substance that has a pH greater than 7.
Being an alkali, calcium hydroxide presents a pH above 7 when in solution.
Base
A substance that accepts protons.
Ammonia acts as a base by accepting a proton from a water molecule.
Alkali
A substance that forms hydroxide ions (OH-) in water.
When dissolved in water, potassium hydroxide releases OH- ions and is therefore an alkali.
Base
An electron pair donor.
In a reaction with HCl, NH3 (ammonia) donates an electron pair, behaving as a base.
Alkali
A compound that turns red litmus paper blue.
The alkali, lithium hydroxide, changes the color of red litmus paper to blue.
Base
A substance that may turn red litmus paper blue.
Sodium hydroxide, a base, turns red litmus paper blue upon contact.
Alkali
Material capable of neutralizing acids.
The alkali, NaOH, neutralizes HCl to form water and salt.
Base
The lowest part or edge of something, especially the part on which it rests or is supported
She sat down at the base of a tree
Alkali
A water-soluble base.
Sodium hydroxide is an alkali because it dissolves in water.
Base
A conceptual structure or entity on which something draws or depends
The town's economic base collapsed
Alkali
In chemistry, an alkali (; from Arabic: القلوي al-qaly "ashes of the saltwort") is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water.
Base
A place used as a centre of operations by the armed forces or others; a headquarters
He headed back to base
Alkali
A compound with particular chemical properties including turning litmus blue and neutralizing or effervescing with acids; typically, a caustic or corrosive substance of this kind such as lime or soda
Flint is not subject to chemical weathering except by strong alkalis
The reaction is followed by measuring the concentration of alkali at various times
Base
A main or important element or ingredient to which other things are added
Soaps with a vegetable oil base
Alkali
A carbonate or hydroxide of an alkali metal, the aqueous solution of which is bitter, slippery, caustic, and characteristically basic in reactions.
Base
A substance capable of reacting with an acid to form a salt and water, or (more broadly) of accepting or neutralizing hydrogen ions.
Alkali
Any of various soluble mineral salts found in natural water and arid soils.
Base
The middle part of a bipolar transistor, separating the emitter from the collector.
Alkali
Alkali metal.
Base
The root or stem of a word or a derivative.
Alkali
A substance having highly basic properties; a strong base.
Base
A number used as the basis of a numeration scale.
Alkali
(chemistry) One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, soda ash, caustic soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing characteristics are dissolving in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue.
Base
Each of the four stations that must be reached in turn to score a run.
Alkali
(Western United States) Soluble mineral matter, other than common salt, contained in soils of natural waters.
Base
Use (something specified) as the foundation or starting point for something
Entitlement will be based on income
The film is based on a novel by Pat Conroy
Alkali
Soda ash; caustic soda, caustic potash, etc.
Base
Situate at a specified place as the centre of operations
A London-based band
The Science Policy Review Unit is based at the University of Sussex
Alkali
One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing peculiarities are solubility in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue.
Base
Without moral principles; ignoble
The electorate's baser instincts of greed and selfishness
Alkali
Soluble mineral matter, other than common salt, contained in soils of natural waters.
Base
Denoting or befitting a person of low social class.
Alkali
Any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water;
Bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals and ammonia
Base
(of coins or other articles) not made of precious metal
The basest coins in the purse were made in the 620s AD
Alkali
A mixture of soluble salts found in arid soils and some bodies of water; detrimental to agriculture
Base
The lowest or bottom part
The base of a cliff.
The base of a lamp.
Base
The part of a plant or animal organ that is nearest to its point of attachment.
Base
The point of attachment of such an organ.
Base
A supporting part or layer; a foundation
A skyscraper built on a base of solid rock.
Base
A basic or underlying element; infrastructure
The nation's industrial base.
Base
The fundamental principle or underlying concept of a system or theory; a basis.
Base
A fundamental ingredient; a chief constituent
A paint with an oil base.
Base
The fact, observation, or premise from which a reasoning process is begun.
Base
(Games) A starting point, safety area, or goal.
Base
(Baseball) Any one of the four corners of an infield, marked by a bag or plate, that must be touched by a runner before a run can be scored.
Base
A center of organization, supply, or activity; a headquarters.
Base
The portion of a social organization, especially a political party, consisting of the most dedicated or motivated members.
Base
A fortified center of operations.
Base
A supply center for a large force of military personnel.
Base
A facial cosmetic used to even out the complexion or provide a surface for other makeup; a foundation.
Base
(Architecture) The lowest part of a structure, such as a wall, considered as a separate unit
The base of a column.
Base
(Heraldry) The lower part of a shield.
Base
(Linguistics) A morpheme or morphemes regarded as a form to which affixes or other bases may be added.
Base
The side or face of a geometric figure to which an altitude is or is thought to be drawn.
Base
The number that is raised to various powers to generate the principal counting units of a number system. The base of the decimal system, for example, is 10.
Base
The number raised to the logarithm of a designated number in order to produce that designated number; the number at which a chosen logarithmic scale has the value 1.
Base
A line used as a reference for measurement or computations.
Base
Any of a class of compounds whose aqueous solutions are characterized by a bitter taste, a slippery feel, the ability to turn litmus blue, and the ability to react with acids to form salts.
Base
A substance that yields hydroxide ions when dissolved in water.
Base
A substance that can act as a proton acceptor.
Base
A substance that can donate a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond.
Base
The region in a transistor between the emitter and the collector.
Base
The electrode attached to this region.
Base
One of the nitrogen-containing purines (adenine and guanine) or pyrimidines (cytosine, thymine, and uracil) that occurs attached to the sugar component of DNA or RNA.
Base
A bass singer or voice.
Base
Forming or serving as a base
A base layer of soil.
Base
Situated at or near the base or bottom
A base camp for the mountain climbers.
Base
(Chemistry) Of, relating to, or containing a base.
Base
Having or showing a lack of decency; contemptible, mean-spirited, or selfish.
Base
Being a metal that is of little value.
Base
Containing such metals
Base coins.
Base
(Archaic) Of low birth, rank, or position.
Base
(Obsolete) Short in stature.
Base
To form or provide a base for
Based the new company in Portland.
Base
To find a basis for; establish
Based her conclusions on the report.
A film based on a best-selling novel.
Base
To assign to a base; station
Troops based in the Middle East.
Base
Something from which other things extend; a foundation.
Base
A supporting, lower or bottom component of a structure or object.
Base
The starting point of a logical deduction or thought; basis.
Base
A permanent structure for housing military personnel and material.
Base
The place where decisions for an organization are made; headquarters.
Base
A basic but essential component or ingredient.
Base
A substance used as a mordant in dyeing.
Base
(cosmetics) Foundation: a cosmetic cream to make the face appear uniform.
Base
(chemistry) Any of a class of generally water-soluble compounds, having bitter taste, that turn red litmus blue, and react with acids to form salts.
Base
Important areas in games and sports.
Base
A safe zone in the children's games of tag and hide-and-go-seek.
Base
(baseball) One of the four places that a runner can stand without being subject to being tagged out when the ball is in play.
Base
(architecture) The lowermost part of a column, between the shaft and the pedestal or pavement.
Base
A nucleotide's nucleobase in the context of a DNA or RNA biopolymer.
Base
(botany) The end of a leaf, petal or similar organ where it is attached to its support.
Base
(electronics) The name of the controlling terminal of a bipolar transistor (BJT).
Base
(geometry) The lowest side of a triangle or other polygon, or the lowest face of a cone, pyramid or other polyhedron laid flat.
Base
(heraldry) The lowest third of a shield or escutcheon.
Base
(heraldry) The lower part of the field. See escutcheon.
Base
(mathematics) A number raised to the power of an exponent.
The logarithm to base 2 of 8 is 3.
Base
(mathematics) radix.
Base
(topology) The set of sets from which a topology is generated.
Base
(topology) A topological space, looked at in relation to one of its covering spaces, fibrations, or bundles.
Base
(group theory) A sequence of elements not jointly stabilized by any nontrivial group element.
Base
In hand-to-hand balance, the person who supports the flyer; the person that remains in contact with the ground.
Base
(linguistics) A morpheme (or morphemes) that serves as a basic foundation on which affixes can be attached.
Base
(music) bass
Base
The smallest kind of cannon.
Base
(archaic) The housing of a horse.
Base
A kind of skirt (often of velvet or brocade, but sometimes of mail or other armour) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower.
Base
(obsolete) The lower part of a robe or petticoat.
Base
(obsolete) An apron.
Base
A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by a system of triangles.
Base
(politics) A group of voters who almost always support a single party's candidates for elected office.
Base
(Marxism) The forces and relations of production that produce the necessities and amenities of life.
Base
A material that holds paint or other materials together; a binder.
Base
(aviation) base leg
Base
(slang) freebase cocaine
Base
The game of prisoners' bars.
Base
Alternative form of BASE
Base
(transitive) To give as its foundation or starting point; to lay the foundation of.
Base
(transitive) To be located (at a particular place).
Base
To act as a base; to be the person supporting the flyer.
Base
(slang) To freebase.
Base
(obsolete) Low in height; short.
Base
Low in place or position.
Base
(obsolete) Of low value or degree.
Base
(archaic) Of low social standing or rank; vulgar, common.
Base
Morally reprehensible, immoral; cowardly.
Base
Inferior; unworthy, of poor quality.
Base
(of a metal) Not considered precious or noble.
Base
Alloyed with inferior metal; debased.
Base coin
Base bullion
Base
(obsolete) Of illegitimate birth; bastard.
Base
Not classical or correct.
Base
Obsolete form of bass
The base tone of a violin
Base
(legal) Not held by honourable service.
A base estate is one held by services not honourable, or held by villenage. Such a tenure is called base, or low, and the tenant is a base tenant.
Base
Of little, or less than the usual, height; of low growth; as, base shrubs.
Base
Low in place or position.
Base
Of humble birth; or low degree; lowly; mean.
Base
Illegitimate by birth; bastard.
Why bastard? wherefore base?
Base
Of little comparative value, as metal inferior to gold and silver, the precious metals.
Base
Alloyed with inferior metal; debased; as, base coin; base bullion.
Base
Morally low. Hence: Low-minded; unworthy; without dignity of sentiment; ignoble; mean; illiberal; menial; as, a base fellow; base motives; base occupations.
Base
Not classical or correct.
Base
Deep or grave in sound; as, the base tone of a violin.
Base
Not held by honorable service; as, a base estate, one held by services not honorable; held by villenage. Such a tenure is called base, or low, and the tenant, a base tenant.
Base
The bottom of anything, considered as its support, or that on which something rests for support; the foundation; as, the base of a statue.
Base
Fig.: The fundamental or essential part of a thing; the essential principle; a groundwork.
Base
The lower part of a wall, pier, or column, when treated as a separate feature, usually in projection, or especially ornamented.
Base
That extremity of a leaf, fruit, etc., at which it is attached to its support.
Base
The positive, or non-acid component of a salt; a substance which, combined with an acid, neutralizes the latter and forms a salt; - applied also to the hydroxides of the positive elements or radicals, and to certain organic bodies resembling them in their property of forming salts with acids.
Base
The chief ingredient in a compound.
Base
A substance used as a mordant.
Base
The exterior side of the polygon, or that imaginary line which connects the salient angles of two adjacent bastions.
Base
The line or surface constituting that part of a figure on which it is supposed to stand.
Base
The number from which a mathematical table is constructed; as, the base of a system of logarithms.
Base
A low, or deep, sound. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part; the deepest male voice. (b) One who sings, or the instrument which plays, base.
The trebles squeak for fear, the bases roar.
Base
A place or tract of country, protected by fortifications, or by natural advantages, from which the operations of an army proceed, forward movements are made, supplies are furnished, etc.
Base
The smallest kind of cannon.
Base
That part of an organ by which it is attached to another more central organ.
Base
The basal plane of a crystal.
Base
The ground mass of a rock, especially if not distinctly crystalline.
Base
The lower part of the field. See Escutcheon.
Base
The housing of a horse.
Base
A kind of skirt (often of velvet or brocade, but sometimes of mailed armor) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower.
Base
The lower part of a robe or petticoat.
Base
An apron.
Base
The point or line from which a start is made; a starting place or a goal in various games.
To their appointed base they went.
Base
A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by a system of triangles.
Base
A rustic play; - called also prisoner's base, prison base, or bars.
Base
Any one of the four bounds which mark the circuit of the infield.
Base
To put on a base or basis; to lay the foundation of; to found, as an argument or conclusion; - used with on or upon.
Base
To abase; to let, or cast, down; to lower.
If any . . . based his pike.
Base
To reduce the value of; to debase.
Metals which we can not base.
Base
Any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water;
Bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals and ammonia
Base
Installation from which a military force initiates operations;
The attack wiped out our forward bases
Base
Lowest support of a structure;
It was built on a base of solid rock
He stood at the foot of the tower
Base
Place that runner must touch before scoring;
He scrambled to get back to the bag
Base
(numeration system) the positive integer that is equivalent to one in the next higher counting place;
10 is the radix of the decimal system
Base
The bottom or lowest part;
The base of the mountain
Base
(anatomy) the part of an organ nearest its point of attachment;
The base of the skull
Base
A lower limit;
The government established a wage floor
Base
The fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained;
The whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture
Base
A support or foundation;
The base of the lamp
Base
The bottom side of a geometric figure from which the altitude can be constructed;
The base of the triangle
Base
The most important or necessary part of something;
The basis of this drink is orange juice
Base
The place where you are stationed and from which missions start and end
Base
An intensely anti-western terrorist network that dispenses money and logistical support and training to a wide variety of radical Islamic terrorist group; has cells in more than 50 countries
Base
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed;
Thematic vowels are part of the stem
Base
The stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area;
The industrial base of Japan
Base
The principal ingredient of a mixture;
Glycerinated gelatin is used as a base for many ointments
He told the painter that he wanted a yellow base with just a hint of green
Everything she cooked seemed to have rice as the base
Base
A flat bottom on which something is intended to sit;
A tub should sit on its own base
Base
(electronics) the part of a transistor that separates the emitter from the collector
Base
Use as a basis for; found on;
Base a claim on some observation
Base
Use (purified cocaine) by burning it and inhaling the fumes
Base
Assign to a station
Base
Serving as or forming a base;
The painter applied a base coat followed by two finishing coats
Base
(used of metals) consisting of or alloyed with inferior metal;
Base coins of aluminum
A base metal
Base
Of low birth or station (`base' is archaic in this sense);
Baseborn wretches with dirty faces
Of humble (or lowly) birth
Base
Not adhering to ethical or moral principles;
Base and unpatriotic motives
A base, degrading way of life
Cheating is dishonorable
They considered colonialism immoral
Unethical practices in handling public funds
Base
Having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality;
That liberal obedience without which your army would be a base rabble
Taking a mean advantage
Chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort
Something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in politics
Base
Illegitimate
Base
Debased; not genuine;
An attempt to eliminate the base coinage
Base
A proton (H+ ion) acceptor.
The base, OH-, accepts a proton from an acid during neutralization.
Base
A compound that can neutralize acids.
A base like magnesium hydroxide can neutralize stomach acid.
Common Curiosities
Can a base accept protons?
Yes, bases can accept protons.
Are bases always slippery to the touch?
Bases tend to be slippery or soapy to the touch.
Is it safe to touch a base?
Some bases can be caustic and unsafe to touch.
Is every base alkali?
No, only bases that are water-soluble are alkalis.
Can alkali neutralize acids?
Yes, alkalis can neutralize acids.
Do all alkalis dissolve in water?
Yes, alkalis by definition dissolve in water.
Are all alkalis bases?
Yes, all alkalis are bases, but not vice versa.
Can a base be insoluble in water?
Yes, some bases are insoluble in water.
What is a common property of alkali?
Alkali always turns red litmus paper blue.
What pH level does alkali have?
Alkali always has a pH above 7.
Can a base exist in a non-aqueous solution?
Yes, bases can exist in non-aqueous solutions.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
